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Dutch spelling is fairly phonetic.
In general, there is just one way of writing a sound,
and each letter and
letter combination is usually pronounced in the same way.
Once you know the pronunciation of the letters and the spelling rules
for 'long' and 'short' vowels,
you can almost always easily see from written Dutch how to say it,
and on hearing Dutch you will know how it's written.
There are (of course!) exceptions, but not that many, and most are
not very important.
Speaking Dutch following only the general rules -
pronoucing every letter in the standard way -
would not be really bad Dutch.
The only things that early on need explanation is the 'voiceless
E' and the spelling of long and short vowels.
Zoals je 't zegt?
2
3
Like you say it? (Asking if a name or a word
is written phonetically, according to the spelling rules)
The 'One-Page Dutch Summary' has a
short introduction as a
refresher or to quickly give you an idea what Dutch Pronunciation
is about.
Pronunciation of the Letters - Quick Reference Page
This page is for learning the sounds and spelling of Dutch - if you like, follow the links for more examples and more detailed explanations
Table of Contents | |
---|---|
The Vowels (a e i o u) and the Spelling Rules | |
'Voiceless, Unstressed E' (the 'schwa') | |
---|
The Diphthongs: au/ou ei/ij eu oe ui | |
---|
Dutch Sounds not Found in English | |
---|
|
CH / G | |
EI / IJ | |
EU | |
U / UU ('long U') | |
UI | |
---|
Dutch Sounds Represented by Other Letters in English | |
---|
|
J | |
NG | |
R | |
W | |
(English spelling is too irregular for a good comparison of vowels) |
---|
Vowels and Diphthongs Compared | |
---|
Another Approach: 'Recognizable' Words; | |
---|
Exceptions and Irregularities | |
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More, If You Like | |
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The Dutch consonants (medeklinkers ) b c d f g h j k l m n p q r s t v w x z are generally not much different from the English consonants - the few diverging cases will be explained below and more
a
(short A) aa/a (long A) |
e
(short E) ee/e (long E) e - "uh" ('voiceless, unstressed E,' 'schwa') |
i
(short I) ie/i (long I (IE)) |
o
(short O) oo/o (long O) |
u
(short U) uu/u (long U) |
Introduction to
the Dutch Vowels
with links to many examples
- 'Consonant i'
- more about uu/u 'long U' below
Double vowels are always long, but single vowels can be either long or short - the spelling can tell you:
man
'short a' (man,male) |
maan
'long a' (moon) |
Ma
'long a' (Mom) |
mannen
'short a' (men) |
manen
'long a' (moons) |
||||
| ||||||||
vlot
2
3
'short o' (raft) |
vloot
2
'long o' (fleet) |
vlo
2
'long o' (flea) |
vlotten
2
3
'short o' (rafts) |
vloten
2
'long o' (fleets) |
The E of the -EN endings is a 'voiceless, unstressed E'
(the 'schwa')
(Verb infinitives almost all end in ‑EN, and also many plurals
end in ‑EN)
Short
explanation -
Longer
explanation
other versions:
1
- 2
Find the Spelling/Pronunciation Rules Yourself
by studying
and listening to many examples
You can't tell if an E is 'voiceless, unstressed' from the spelling, like with single or double vowels and consonants as explained above, but there are a few simple rules for voiceless E, although they do not cover every possibility.
more: the 'E' page
other views:
1
- 2
AU = OU
blauw
('blue')
- au!
('ouch!')
- dauw
('dew')
- touw
('rope, string')
- goud
('gold')
- louter
('pure')
more
examples AU
- OU
- the AU / OU page
EI = IJ
- (de) bereidheid
2
('readiness, willingness')
- ijstijd
2 ('ice age')
- see and hear examples below
EU
- (de) speurneus
2
3
('[~search-nose] sleuth,
investigating person')
- (de) neusbreuk
2
3
('nose crack,' 'broken nose'
- a made-up word - Dutchmen can do
that
)
- see and hear examples below
OE
boek
('book')
- voet
2
('foot')
- broer
('brother')
more examples
- the OE page
UI
- (de) huilbui
('crying fit')
- (het) huisvuil
2
('household garbage')
- see and hear examples below
Introduction to Diphthongs
with links to many examples
Diphthongs don't have 'short' and 'long' forms, and no resulting spelling changes
CH / G
"A sound like you clear your throat."
There is no sound like it in English,
but it is like J in
European Spanish, and a similar sound is found in Hebrew and Arabic.
- cholera
('cholera')
- chroom
('chrome')
- lach
('a laugh')
- toch
2
('yet, still')
- dicht
('closed')
- lucht
('air')
- rechts
('right (not left)')
Dutch CH and G do not sound exactly the same, but the difference is
very small and foreign students shouldn't worry about
it ‑>>
lachen
2 ('to laugh')
/ vlaggen
2
('flags')
ga!
('go!')
- gas
('a gas')
- ge
(Flemish 'you')
- eg
('agriculture tool')
- geel
2
3 ('yellow')
- god
('god')
- glad
('smooth, slippery')
- grijs
2 ('grey')
- boog
('bow, arch')
- dag
2
('day; goodbye')
- weg
('way, road')
- brug
('bridge')
more CH examples
- the CH page
more G examples
- the G page
G and CH are pronounced differently in the South of The
Netherlands and Belgium, de
'Zachte G' - more
- 2
Zachte G
2
3 -
Zachte G
2
3
EI / IJ
There is no sound like Dutch EI/IJ
2
in English, but
it's said that the sound is "somewhere between English
FATE and FIGHT" - hear Dutch feit
('fact')
- or "between MATE and MIGHT"
- hear Dutch: mijt
('parasitic bug') /
meid
2
('girl' - slang)
A sound like Dutch EI/IJ is found in French, in a word like
soleil
2
('sun') and in the name of the Mediterranean city of
Marseille
mees titmouse (a bird) |
- | meis "girl" (slang) |
- | maïs maize, corn |
2 |
Trees (girl's name) |
- | Thijs (boy's name) |
- | Thais Thai |
2 |
mei May |
- | maai (I) mow |
- | mij me |
|
hei heath, moor |
- | haai shark |
- | hij he |
EU
There is no sound like Dutch EU
in English, but German has a sound like it in
some words with Ö or OE like
the logician Gödel
- schön
2
3
'beautiful'
or the author Goethe
French has a sound like Dutch EU in a word like
deux
'two'
- beuk
('beech (a tree)')
- (de) keuken
2
('kitchen')
- (de) keuze
('choice')
- neus
('nose')
- (de) euro
2
('euro')
- (de) heuvel
('hill')
more examples
- the EU page
UU / U ('long' U)
There is no sound in English similar to Dutch 'long U'
-
but is is found in French, like in
cru or dur
and in German, like in
Hügel and Muesli
U
('you' - formal)
- uur
('hour')
- muziek
2
('music')
('tuba')
- tube
2
('tube,' type of container, for instance for toothpaste)
more examples
- the U/UU page
UI
There is no sound like Dutch UI
2
in English, but French has
it in a word like
l'oeil
('the eye') - hear Dutch:
lui
('lazy')
- buik
('belly')
- duim
2
('thumb')
- huis
2
('house')
- vuil
('dirt, dirty stuff; dirty')
more examples
- the UI page
Dutch J - English 'Consonant Y'
Dutch J is like English 'Consonant Y' (except in IJ of course)
- ja
5 ('yes')
- jakkes!
('yikes, yuck!)
- jij
('you')
- je
2 ('you')
- jou
2 ('you')
- jullie
('you')
- more about Dutch
'you:' personal pronouns
- joker
('joker' - cards)
more examples
NG
like NG in SINGER ('vocalist') or HANGER,
never like in LINGER or DANGER
- ringvinger
('ring finger')
- (de) zangeres
2
('lady singer')
- engerd
('a creep')
- lang
2
3
4 /
lange
long, tall
- jongen
('boy')
more examples
R
Dutch R is quite different from
English R:
- er
('~there')
->>
- raam
2
('window')
- rand
('edge')
- rijst
('rice')
- rug
('back' - body part)
- borst
At the beginning of a word, English R starts with the tongue
touching the top of the palate, and then moving down; it's a
'rolling' sound formed in the middle of the mouth.
Dutch R keeps the tongue flat, its tip touching the lower teeth, and
it's formed in the back of the mouth.
Compare English and Dutch R:
English | road
|
room
|
ram
|
---|---|---|---|
Dutch | rood
|
roem
|
rem
|
meaning | red | fame | a brake |
W
- wij willen water
('we want water')
Keep lips relaxed, not rounded like in English W;
Dutch W starts with the top of the lower lip touching the front
upper teeth, but not clearly blowing out air like for a V or F.
The sound is formed in the back of the mouth, and not in the front like
English W.
waar
('where; true')
->>
-
was
('laundry; wax; (I/you/he) was')
- week
2 ('week')
- wet
('law')
- winst
('profit')
- woord
('word')
more examples
- the W page
A few examples:
aanval
2
- spraakzaam
2
3
- aanrecht
- waarheen?
2
- tafel
2
3
- maanlicht
2
3
- balie
2
- aankomst
2
- draadloos
2
- datum
2
- zwaluw
- bladgoud
2
- dankzij
2
- acteur
2
- stapvoets
2
3
- pakhuis
more extreme examples:
tijdsduur
2
- ruwheid
- steunmuur
- schuurdeur
- kruisvuur
2
- stuurlui
2
3
- Kijk uit!
2
3
4
- buikpijn
2
- scheurbuik
2
3
- huisdeur
2
- kleurrijk
- wijsneus
2
- vrijheid
2
- bruidssuiker
more examples, systematic list:
Vowels and Diphthongs Compared
Flashcards Listening Exercise -
2
Dutch and English Words of about the Same Meaning | ||||
park
adder half accent 2 3 fase water 2 drama 2 bed 2 lens test 2 3 echo 2 3 ego 2 3 decibel |
lip
blind 2 film 2 bitter liter 2 crisis 2 3 alibi 2 dogma 2 god concert wolf |
open
opera horizon 2 moment radio 2 hut rubber 2 3 bus tunnel 2 duel 2 tuba uniform |
Identical or very similar Dutch and English Words
Easy Dutch 1: Background and Pronunciation
Some background on the shared roots and changes
between English and Dutch and 'Reognizable' Words, 'Easy Vocabulary'
Easy Dutch 2: Recognizable Words by Subject
Colors - Days, Months, Seasons - Numbers - Time - The Human Body
- Family and Relatives - On the Farm - More Animals - Music - Trees
Easy Dutch 3: 'Reognizable' Verbs
'False Friends' (Faux Amis) Identical Words of different Meaning
Meaning | Dutch | English | Dutch word, alternates | ||
---|---|---|---|---|---|
afraid, scared | bang | bang | knal loud noise | ||
leg | been 2 3 | been | past participle of 'to be'
ik ben geweest I have been | ||
1. through 2. by |
door | door | deur 2 entry to room or house | ||
elsewhere, in another place |
elders | elders | wijze
oude mannen
2
wise old men ('village elders') |
||
a fairy | fee | fee | kosten a charge, money that needs to be paid | ||
corridor, hallway | gang | gang | bende bunch of bad guys | ||
1. slippery 2. smooth |
glad | glad | blij happy, joyful | ||
him | hem | hem | zoom 2 3 finished edge of fabric | ||
chin | kin 2 | kin | familie ~relatives ‑>> | ||
alphabet character | letter 2 | letter |
letter
2
letter, character brief mail message |
||
file, folder, holder for papers | map | map |
kaart
2
geographical representation, drawing of an area |
||
joke
also: mopje |
mop 2 | mop |
dweil
2
zwabber raghead on a stick |
||
strange, weird, odd raar / rare 2 |
rare | rare | ongebruikelijk
2
/ zeldzaam
2
uncommon, unusual
kort gebakken 2 'sautéed shortly,' underdone meat |
||
back (body part) | rug | rug |
kleed
carpet, tapestry tapijt 2 carpet, tapestry |
||
a time of quiet, low activity | rust 2 | rust |
roest
iron oxidation
- rust roest low activity leads to stagnation |
EEN / 'N
The Dutch indefinite article ('a') een
is pronounced with voiceless, unstressed E
('the 'schwa') and not the 'long E'
you'd expect from the spelling. It can also be
written as " 'n. "
'One' is één
2
3 -
the number 1 and 'one' meaning
'quantity: one,' usually written with accents
Iemand zal een oplosing moeten vinden
Someone will have to find a solution
Er is maar één oplossing
2
There's only one solution
HET / 'T
The Dutch definite article #2
het
2
('the') is often pronounced as 't
and can phonetically more correctly be written as
" 't. "
‑>>
het is | it's, it is |
't is 2 3 | it's, it is |
The -IG Ending
The -IG ending
is pronounced with voiceless, unstressed E
('the 'schwa') and not the 'short I'
you'd expect from the spelling.
Almost all words of more than one syllable with an -IG ending
are adjectives or adverbs,
or words derived from adjectives and adverbs
A few examples:
luchtig
('airy, light // not serious')
schichtig
2
3
('skittish, nervous, shy')
voorzichtig
2
('careful, with caution')
‑>>
voorzichtig!
2
('be careful!')
twintig
(' 20 ') numbers
gezellig
2
3
(untranslatable: '~pleasant, ~nice,
~enjoyable, ~gregarious, ~cosy')
->>
more examples
The -ISCH Ending
The -ISCH ending
is pronounced with Dutch 'long I' (IE)
(English EE) and not the 'short I'
you'd expect from the spelling, and the CH is dropped.
a few examples:
kritisch
2
('critical')
chemisch
/ chemische
('chemical')
tragisch
2
/ tragische
('tragical')
mechanisch
2
('mechanical')
psychisch
2
3
4
('psychological, mental')
Indisch
('from the Dutch Indies' // 'from India')
allergisch
('allergic')
more examples
The -LIJK Ending
The -LIJK ending
2
is pronounced with voiceless, unstressed E
('the 'schwa') and not the EI/IJ
you'd expect from the spelling.
a few examples:
lelijk
2
/ lelijke
2
3
('ugly')
rijkelijk
([richly] 'abundantly')
vrijelijk
('freely, liberally')
verrukkelijk
('delicious')
ijselijk
([icely] 'dreadful, frightening')
gevaarlijk
2
3
('dangerous')
more examples
Unexpectedly 'Short' A
Contrary to the spelling/pronunciation rules that say a single vowel
is 'long' when followed by one consonant and one or more vowels, many
A's in that position are 'short.' Going through my recordings it looks
like a significant number. The stress in these words in never on that
first syllable
a few examples:
- apart
2
3
('apart, separate' // 'peculiar')
- bananen
('bananas')
- (het) katoen
('cotton') - (de) azijn
('vinegar')
- (het) lawaai
2
('noise')
- Amerikanen
2
3
('Americans')
- Japan
('Japan')
many more examples
End-of-word B
End-of-word B is pronounced as P, but when an E-ending is added to the
word, B's are pronounced as B
Compare:
(het) lab
('lab, laboratory') / (de) lap
('a piece of cloth or land')
(de) eb
2
('ebbtide') / (de) mep
('slap, whack, blow')
a few examples:
ik heb
('I have')
/ wij hebben
2
('we have')
(de) slab
2
('bib') / (het) slabbetje
2
('small bib')
(de) krab
2
3
('crab') / krabben
('crabs' // 'to scratch')
more examples
CH in CHRI-
The CH in CHRI is pronounced as K. All Dutch words starting with
CHRI derive from Christus
('Christ')
- Jezus Christus
2
(de) christen
christian, christian person - plural:
christenen
Christien
('a girls' name')
- Chris
('a boys' name')
more examples
End-of-word D
End-of-word D is pronounced as T, but when an E-ending is added to the
word, D's are pronounced as D
Compare:
(het) bad
('bath') / (het) gat
('hole')
(het) bed
2
('bed') / (de) pet
('cap')
a few examples:
(de) daad
('action,' "deed")
/ daden
('actions,' "deeds")
(het) paard
2 ('horse')
/ paarden
2
('horses')
(het) goud
('gold') / gouden
('golden')
more examples
"Lopen" or "Lope"?
Many people in Holland (probably a majority of the population) don't
pronounce the final N's in verb infinitives, verb plurals and noun
plurals. Feel free to do that too, you will be perfectly
understood either way. But I do not recommend it, dear students,
because you have to write
those N's anyway, so not pronouncing them just adds a
spelling rule
De mensen praten plat.
De mense prate plat.
People talk sloppily,
substandard Dutch.
We hebben lopen demonstreren.
We hebbe lope demonstrere.
2
3
We have been in a protest march.
more
SCHR: "ShR"
The CH in SCHR is not pronounced - just an H 'aspiration,' breathing
out, "an exhalation of breath" - listen to the examples.
- (het) schrammetje
('small scratch')
- schragen
2
3
4
5
('sawhorses, gantries' // 'to support, prop up')
- schrikken
2
3
4
('to be startled, frightened, scared, shocked')
- (het) schroot
('scrap metal')
- (de) schreeuw
('shout')
- schrijven
2
3
('to write')
- (de) schroef
('screw')
Compare with:
(de) visgraat
2
3
4
('fish bone') -
muisgrijs
2
3
('mouse-grey')
- (de) staatsgreep
('coup') - 't Is chronisch
2
('It's chronical')
- (de) asregen
2
3
('ash rain, rain of ash')
many more examples
-TIE Ending: 1. "-TIE" 2. "-TSIE" 3. "-SIE"
The -TIE ending can be pronounced in three different ways:
single U in UW is 'Long'
The single U in UW is always
'long'
for instance: Uw
('your' - formal)
- duw
('a push')
- duwen
('to push')
- ruw
2
/ ruwe
('rough')
- ruwweg
('roughly' - estimating)
Compare with:
- (de) rug
('back' - body part)
- (het) rund
2
('beef cattle')
- Ruud
2
(a boys' name)
more examples
WR: "VR"
W before R is pronounced as (Dutch) V
Compare:
- wrede
('cruel') /
(de) vrede
('peace')
- (de) wraak
('revenge') / (de) vraag
2
('question')
more examples
More examples on the Source Pages for this Chapter:
Major Exceptions to the Phonetic Spelling of Dutch
- 2
- Minor Exceptions
Older versions:
Lesson10
- smartphone
- 2
Problems in Dutch Pronunciation and Spelling
Dutch First and Last Names
Dutch Place Names
Foreign Lands and Places
Names Overview
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